Crabbo and Clever Crabbo by Wendy Nichols

Ten-year-old Mark would rather be at home with his computer than holidaying at the beach. He certainly wouldn’t admit he’d be pretty lonely doing that either. But everything changes when he meets Crabbo, a talking crab. Together they take on the camping ground bullies and turn his holiday into the best Mark’s ever had.

Clever Crabbo:

Mark, Ellie and Crabbo, the talking crab, are on holiday at the beach where the Cripps are very unhappy. Fred and his mean gang are stealing from their milk bar, endangering their ability to stay in business. Can clever Crabbo come up with a plan to trap the bullies or will the Cripps be forced to close their shop?

GENRE: Mid-grade Reader ISBN: 978-1-925191-18-9 ASIN: B004I8WPQM

Chapter 1

It talks!

Mark sighed and poked at the sand with his stick. Beach holidays were okay, but he’d rather be at home with his computer and books.

“Drop the stick, Fish-face!” croaked a voice.

Mark dropped the stick and stared at the sand in surprise. Where had that voice come from? He peered into the hole but it was too dark to see so he nudged the hole with his big toe.

A large brown crab poked its head out of the hole. It snapped at Mark, then sunk its claw into Mark’s big toe.

“Ouch! It’s got me!” he yelled, hopping up and down on the sand. Mark tried to shake the crab off his foot, but it was sticking to him like a scab to a band-aid so he grabbed it instead. The crab latched onto Mark’s finger. It left a red scratch on his hand when he pulled it off.

Mark’s mum put down her book and peered over her sunglasses at Mark. “What are you doing?” she called out.

“Cleaning up the beach,” said Mark, grabbing a stick to bash this annoying crab with.